About Me

Born in the late 60's, Chesy hails from a Welsh mining village with a long name and was pretty glad when he got the Hell out of there. He got into Rock/Metal in about 1980, thanks to a TISWAS related incident (Rainbow video for All Night Long) and thankfully has never looked back.
Chesy often sang solo in the school choir, but thanks to a puberty related incident his voice is now completely bolloxed, although in his own head Paul thinks he sounds like a blend of Coverdale and Dio (R.I.P).
He was brought up on the classics - Deep Purple, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, Rush, Whitesnake and loved melodic rock and the Hair Bands of the 80's. (Nowadays, he has progressed a little and prefers a more technical and/or progressive metal - Dream Theater, Rush, Symphony X, Porcupine Tree, Pain Of Salvation, Spock's Beard. He hates Black and Death Metal (can't stand the grunting) but for some unknown reason loves the magnificent Opeth! He wont stop this blog until his beloved FM finally play the likes of the NEC as a headlining act!!!

Monday, 1 May 2017

Ayreon - 'The Source' Album Review

The conversation was short and simple, “Do you want me to
review the new Ayreon album?” “Yes” says Chesy “Ok then”. I’m such an idiot.

How hard can it be? I’ve listened to every Ayreon album a
hundred times (except The Theory of Everything) so I know what’s coming: lots
of top notch singers and musicians coming together under the experienced eye of
musical maestro Arjen Lucassen, weaving a convoluted story with over the top
prog rockness (MS Word won’t believe that’s a word but we know differently
don’t we?).

Well the answer is both easy and difficult, easy because it
is bloody brilliant and difficult because I want to get across how brilliant it
is and I feel I’m going to fail. How can I encapsulate this intricate work of
genius whilst retaining my aloof reviewer cred and general cynical outlook on
life?

Ayreon (Arjen) has carved a niche for itself by not
compromising and following the vision of the universe it wants to create. If
you’re not familiar with their work it is a creation of one man, Arjen
Lucassen, who gets together the biggest names in rock and metal to play
characters in the rock operas he writes. The whole thing inhabits a universe
plotting the birth, death, rebirth, interstellar migration, death, rebirth and
probably death again of civilisations across eons of time, you know; the stuff
your average pop song is about.

I’ve made this all sound very complicated and a difficult
listen but like Coheed and Cambria you can go right in and follow the story to
its nth degree or just listen to the songs and tap your foot, it’s up to you
and you’ll enjoy it either way probably.

For people familiar with Ayreon, this is a more rock
focussed affair than previous offerings with the drums and guitars more up
front in the mix. Less flutes and strings, more killer riffs. As a (terrible)
drummer myself this is direction I can get behind, it is properly head nodding
at times and my air drums are getting a work out.

It goes without saying that the musicianship is top notch
and with vocal performances to match. With names like James LeBrie (Dream
Theater), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), vocal gymnast Michael Mills (Toehider),
Simone Simmons (Epica) and a host of others on board the whole thing is in safe
hands.

The album races along without getting bogged down like ‘The
Theory of Everything’, TTOE was the last album Ayreon put out and for me was
their only misstep. Don’t get me wrong it is an impressive work, but with four
20 minute tracks on it and no discernible hooks it was hard work and I can’t
get through the thing anymore. Some people love it, I do not.

Arjen has gone off in a completely different direction from
TTOE though, this is full of killer hooks, melodies, riffs and Ed Warby gets to
let his hair down (if he had any) on a few tracks showing why he is the drummer
of choice for Ayreon. You can hear lots of musical nods to other Ayreon albums
plus nods to the various singers styles, at times you could be forgiven for
thinking you were listening to ‘Dream Theater’ when James LaBrie is singing or
‘Between the buried and me’ when Tommy Rogers is front and centre.

This is the album Dream Theater’s ‘The astonishing’ should
have been instead of a wet, boring, navel gazing waste of my time and I hope
James LaBrie goes back and makes the rest of DT listen to it. Nightwish too
could have a listen and realise that now they’ve got a talent like Floor in
their midst they should write something better than their last outing for her.
Grumble grumble.

A quick word about the packaging, I got the CD/DVD digipack
containing the two CDs plus a DVD containing music videos, behind the scenes
footage and a 5.1 mix of the album. The booklet is full of great artwork and
shows just what you miss if you only buy digital downloads. There are a few
choices when it comes to formats so check out which suits you before buying
this.

If you aren’t sure you’re up for this look up ‘The day that
the world breaks down’ on YouTube. If you like that you’ll like the whole
thing.

This is my new benchmark for Ayreon and the album I would
recommend anyone new to them to start at. I’m going to be playing this all year
I suspect; several listens are needed to experience the whole thing without
becoming overwhelmed. This is an genuinely epic piece of work that deserves to
sell a million.

It’s that good.

10/10 (I could
not think of anything problematic enough to knock a point off)

Disc One1. The Day That The World Breaks Down2. Sea Of Machines 3. Everybody Dies 4. Star Of Sirrah 5. All That Was 6. Run! Apocalypse! Run! 7. Condemned To Live

Disc Two1. Aquatic Race 2. The Dream Dissolves 3. Deathcry Of A Race 4. Into The Ocean 5. Bay Of Dreams 6. Planet Y Is Alive! 7. The Source Will Flow 8. Journey To Forever9. The Human Compulsion 10. March Of The Machines